Revision of assumed knowledge

All isolated systems will move spontaneously to the lowest energy state
available to them.
An ELEMENT is a pure material made up of one type of atom.
An ATOM is the smallest part of an element that maintains the
characteristics of the element.
A MOLECULE is a chemical combination of two or more atoms.
A COMPUND is a pure substance with the smallest part of which that
maintains the characteristics of the compound is the molecule.

Atom is to element that a molecule is to a

compound
A solid has a fixed shape
The atoms and / or molecules are in fixed positions.
A liquid takes the shape of its container.
The atoms of which it Is made are free to move around each other.
A gas fills the volume that contains it.
The atoms move around in the container colliding with each other and the
walls of the container.

Rutherford model of the atom

Alpha Particles

Gold
Foil
Alpha
Particles+

Radioactive source

Scintillation counter

With the discovery of radiation (nuclear), Rutherford was able to explore

the atom. The accepted view was the Thomason plum pudding model
i.e. atoms come in various sizes but were of uniform density and
background material, impregnated with something else like raisins in a
plum pudding. Electrostatic charging was explained by having too many or
too few raisins.

Rutherford
Rutherford fired alpha particles i.e. helium nuclei through a gold foil sheet
and determined their path by counting impacts on a scintillation detector.
He found that most particles passed straight through, some were
deflected slightly and a small number reflected back. Rutherford said this
was like firing a cannon ball at tissue paper and having it bounce back.
These results could be explained if most of matter i.e. the atoms were
located in a positive central core, the positive charges balanced by
orbiting negative particles and most matter being empty space.

Rutherford atom

P+

Nuclear radii are 10

Atomic radii are 10

-15

-10

From the bohr model we can say that electrons associated with atoms
exist in discrete, specific energy levels. These levels may be thought of as
_____________ orbits.

The emissions spectra

The emissions spectra associated with atoms are explained by electrons
jumping from upper to lower energy levels and giving off the energy
difference as electromagnetic radiation.
(N.B. The electrons do not exist anywhere between energy levels.)
N.B. Electrons are shown in energy levels in ground state (lowest state)

H
Li
C
Na
Si
Cl

Be
O
Mg
P

Ar

He
B
Ne
Al
S
Ca

Atomic Mass Number of protons + Neutrons

27

Al

Aluminium

13

Atomic Number number of protons